Stalled for five years, 260-unit Berkeley housing project will be California’s first to use streamlined approvals

A Berkeley apartment project that has been stalled for five years will be California’s first development to use a 2017 law that streamlined housing permits.

An affiliate of developer Blake Griggs Properties filed a proposal Thursday at 1900 Fourth St. with 260 apartments, including 50 percent affordable housing. The developer will use State Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 35, which exempts the project from most city reviews because Berkeley hasn’t approved enough affordable housing.